Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Go Vigyan Anusandhan Kendra (GVAK) in Nagpur are conducting research on cow urine distillate to determine its anti-oxidant and other properties, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Shripad Yasso Naik on Friday told the Lok Sabha in reply to an unstarred question.

“CSIR through its constituent laboratories has conducted research studies in collaboration with GVAK, Nagpur, on cow urine distillate for its anti-oxidant and bio-enhancing properties on anti-infective and anti-cancer agents and nutrients. Four US patents have been secured since 2002 and one pharmaceutical product containing cow urine distillate with anti-oxidant property is available in the market,” Naik said in a written reply to Surat BJP MP Darshana Vikram Jardosh’s question on whether the government has any proposal to develop cow urine as a medicine.

Go Vigyan Anusandhan Kendra, which started in 1996, is an organisation with deep RSS roots. Among its founding fathers are Shyamji Ballal, organising secretary of VHP in Vidarbha, and veteran RSS pracharak Moropant Pingle. It aims to establish “firm scientific basis of eco-friendly cow-centred economics.”

The organisation holds several patents on cow urine over its antibiotic, anti-fungal and bioenhancer effects, and over its anti-allergic, anti-infective, nutrient and anti-cancer properties, as well as its use as an anti-oxidant and one on cow urine causing apoptosis or programmed cell death. GVAK also holds a patent in China for the role of cow urine in protecting and/or repairing DNA damages.

In his reply, Naik also said that the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences has conducted a national seminar on ‘Panchagavya Chikitsa’ in 2014 for its promotion and brought out a compilation of published research papers on Panchagvya and its ingredients.

The published research papers on Panchagavya have been uploaded in the ‘AYUSH Research Portal’.

Panchagavya is the collective name of five products obtained from cow viz milk, curd, ghee, urine and dung.

“Cow urine is an ingredient of several ayurvedic formulations and also used as adjuvant with medicinal formulations and for pharmaceutical processing called shodhana (purification) and bhavana (triturition) of medicinal materials,” Naik told the Lower House.